


Happy Valentine's, Buddy

by nj_1996



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Smut, Valentine's Day, cuteness, puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 02:29:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29428848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nj_1996/pseuds/nj_1996
Summary: With Max still fast asleep upstairs, Daniel finds himself a puppy having wandered into his garden. He immediately falls in love with the little thing, but now he just has to convince Max to raise it together...
Relationships: Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen
Comments: 3
Kudos: 74





	Happy Valentine's, Buddy

**Author's Note:**

> From the following prompt by Anon:  
> could you maybe write a one shot about maxiel finding a puppy and adopting it?
> 
> Yes. I looooooved writing something cute. Also to the people who have read my other stuff, this is a spiritual successor to L.A. Reunion :D

As Daniel woke up and his eyes slowly fluttered open, he let out a small, pleased groan at the dull ache that he could feel over his entire body. Max had finally gotten to LA the day before, and they had gone at it as soon as they gotten to Daniel’s considerable Beverly Hills villa. And then again when cleaning up in the shower. And then again before they finally went to bed and crashed for the night.

The Aussie smiled a little to himself as the memories from the day came flooding back into his mind, and he sighed happily when he felt Max’s arms tightening a little around his waist, the Dutchman gently spooning him from behind. Very carefully, as to not wake his sleeping and most likely incredibly jetlagged boyfriend up, Daniel turned around in Max’s arms, smiling lovingly as he regarded the sleeping form of the man he could call his own.

‘’Love you so much, Maxy. Happy Valentine’s day.’’ He whispered then, leaning in to very gently place his lips against his boyfriend’s. He started to gently push his fingers through Max’s hair then, chuckling a little to himself as he realized that it was longer now than the Dutchman generally liked, but like Dan had specifically asked for about 1.600 times now. It just looked really hot on him, and it gave Daniel a bit more to tug at from time to time.

He really figured that he could lie there for hours, just watching Max sleep and give him little touches and kisses and everything that he felt like doing. Still though, he had to have some semblance of professionality. Besides doing the obvious, he hadn’t really had time for a workout the day before, so he’d have to catch up a little now. And so he placed a final kiss on Max’s nose, before Daniel finally slipped out of bed.

After spending a few minutes getting ready in the bathroom, he put on some fresh boxers first, followed by a pair of shorts and a tank top to work out in. He finally looked back at Max then, sighing a little at just how much he wanted to get back in there and kiss his boyfriend awake. He finally managed to resist though, leaving the bedroom and heading outside to do some exercises that Michael had prepared for him to do. He’d normally come over himself, but Dan wanted to lay low a little now that Max was visiting him, and not have any other people around besides them.

He got himself some water as he stepped through the kitchen and made his way outside then, getting all of his exercising equipment together and putting some music on as he started. It was already hot in the LA sun, and before long Daniel was a sweaty mess as he worked his muscles. Stretching, weights, core, he followed everything that the list told him to, to the letter, because he was pretty sure from experience that Michael could tell when he didn’t. It was a little creepy. And terrifying.

When he finally finished his initial workout, he decided to spend some time playing basketball, before going back inside to make his boyfriend some breakfast in bed. He went to get the ball from the shed, turning his back to the hoop and throwing it overhead without looking. Dan groaned a little as he could hear the ball bounce off the ring, and rolled his eyes a little at the barking at the ball that followed. Wait…barking? He didn’t have a dog.

He quickly turned around then, only to see the most adorable little puppy running around the basketball, trying desperately to sink his little teeth down into it. ‘’Ooohhhhh, buddy…’’ Daniel said quietly, walking over and crouching down next to the little thing. He really couldn’t be older than two, three months at most, looking like some sort of Pitbull related breed. ‘’Aren’t you just the most adorable little creature I’ve ever seen?’’ He asked the dog, who, now distracted by Daniel rather than the ball, sat down and turned his head to the side a little as he looked a little confused at the human.

‘’Oh my god, I love you.’’ Daniel said, almost giddy with joy at finding this sweet, little thing in his garden. He looked around it a little, checking for a collar or something else to identify the little man, but there was nothing. He looked healthy though, if slightly malnourished, and so Daniel carefully lifted the puppy into his arms. The dog immediately cuddled close, clearly starved for positive attention and love, and the Aussie’s heart absolutely melted as the puppy proceeded to almost instantly fall asleep in his arms. 

Daniel very gently scratched the little one behind his ears, and the puppy let out a happy little noise as he slept soundly in Daniel’s strong and safe arms. It was pretty much like a lightbulb went off in the Aussie’s head then, and he grinned when he worked out the entire idea. He was going to give Max a puppy for Valentine’s day. Specifically, this one. That was, if the vet could determine that he didn’t belong to anyone and was perfectly healthy, but still. The idea was there. 

Given that his Maxy would probably still be in bed for hours working on his jetlag, until Dan would finally force him to get out, he figured that he had more than enough time to get to a vet and have his little buddy checked out before Max would be any the wiser. He laid down on the couch then, the puppy asleep on his chest as he googled for vets for a moment, before calling the nearest one, explaining what had happened and that he wanted to return the puppy to its owner as quickly as possible if it had one.

Thankfully, they had a gap in their schedule and so he could come over immediately, which Daniel did. The vet was just at the end of the street, but given that he hoped he could buy some things for the puppy there in case he could keep it, he took the car anyway, keeping the dog safe and secure on his lap as he drove the short distance. It was quiet at the vet’s office once he got there, so Daniel was almost immediately asked to come inside the examination room after checking in with the front desk.

‘’Goodmorning, mister…Ricciardo.’’ The vet said, checking her computer for a moment as Daniel walked into the room. ‘’Goodmorning, doctor Anderson.’’ Daniel replied happily, still cradling the little pup in his arms. ‘’Ooohhh, and who is this?’’ The vet asked curiously, making Daniel chuckle. ‘’That’s what I’m trying to find out. He’s just my little buddy for the moment, but he wandered into my backyard without a collar or a tag or anything. I just want to find out if he has an owner and if he’s healthy.’’ The Aussie explained.

Doctor Anderson nodded in return, patting the examination table for a moment. ‘’Alright. Put him down and we’ll see if someone is missing this little cutie.’’ She said happily. Daniel gently put the puppy down then, something that the little dog very much disagreed with, if his whining and looking at Daniel were anything to go by. The Aussie crouched down then, gently petting his new friend as he smiled at him. ‘’It’s okay, I’m still here.’’ He assured him, earning himself a great, big lick on the nose.

He laughed happily as doctor Anderson did her best to find a chip, but finally hummed. ‘’He doesn’t seem to be chipped, so if he has an owner, it would be impossible for us to find them…’’ She admitted with a bit of a sigh. ‘’From first glance though, he seems to be healthy. A little on the lighter side, but good enough. I’ll have to do some blood tests to see if he has any other issues.’’

Daniel nodded then, looking into the puppy’s eyes with a bit of a pout on his own face. ‘’Does that mean that I can keep him?’’ He asked curiously, making the vet laugh. ‘’If you want him, yes. We can register him to your name and everything. And idea what you want to call him yet?’’ Doctor Anderson asked curiously, and Daniel hummed softly as he continued to get licked again and again, the puppy seeming very excited about the idea of getting to live with Daniel.

‘’Buddy.’’ The Aussie finally decided with a grin, chuckling to himself as he continued to pet the dog. ‘’He already is my little buddy, so we might as well make it official.’’ He explained happily. The vet took enough of a sample then to do the blood tests that she needed to do to determine the puppy’s health and registered Buddy to Daniel’s name, making sure everything was in order and promising to call the next day with the results, before finally sending the pair of them on their way again. 

Daniel could not be happier. He had the absolute best Valentine’s day gift in the entire world for his boyfriend, and he was already so in love with this sweet, little, baby doggy that his heart could burst. He managed to buy everything he needed from the Vet’s office, including a dog bowl, a basket to sleep in, some toys and a bunch of food and treats. He loaded everything into his car, before driving back the few hundred meters to his villa.

He left all of the things he’d bought in the car for the time being, deciding to go and surprise Max first with their new, beautiful, little friend. He collected the sleepy puppy back in his arms, the whole ordeal at the vet having been a bit tiring for the little one, before he walked upstairs, finding Max still perfectly sound asleep in bed, just where he’d left him. Daniel carefully sat down on the bed, against the headboard, Buddy asleep on his lap as he reached out and very gently started to play with his boyfriend’s hair.

‘’Maaaaaaaaxy.’’ The Aussie said quietly. ‘’Wake up, love. I have a surprise for you.’’ With that, the Dutchman groaned softly, pulling the covers over his head as he shielded himself from the sunlight. ‘’Daaaaan.’’ He whined in return. ‘’You know I love your ass or your dick or whatever the surprise is, but I’m tired.’’ He mumbled, making Daniel laugh happily. ‘’You’re cute, but no. That’s not it. The surprise might be even cuter than you are.’’ He told the Dutchman.

At that, Max gasped and threw the covers off of his head, looking very alarmed. ‘’How dare you? I am ado-…’’ He fell quiet then, his eyes immediately drawn to his boyfriend’s crotch area for a very different reason than usual. ‘’Daniel Joseph Ricciardo, is that what I think it is on your lap?’’ Max asked, looking straight at the sleeping puppy snuggling with his boyfriend. ‘’Yup.’’ Daniel said happily, his grin only growing wider. ‘’Happy Valentine’s day, my love.’’

Max’s mouth had dropped open by then, and it stayed open as he looked from Daniel, to the puppy, and back again. ‘’Dan, no…’’ He said in disbelief, still very much not understanding the entire concept of what was happening here. ‘’Dan, yes.’’ Daniel replied excitedly, chuckling happily to himself as he continued to grin down at Max. ‘’This is Buddy. He’s an American Staffordshire Terrier that walked into the backyard and I have adopted him and I want you to adopt him too, if you’d like to co-parent with me.’’ He explained happily.

Max’s look of shock turned into a bit a frown then, and he slowly pushed himself up to sit next to Daniel against the headboard, pulling the covers along a little, given that he was both naked and it was a little cold without them. ‘’You adopted a puppy that you found in the garden?’’ He asked for clarification, and Daniel nodded happily in return. ‘’Yup. But it’s okay because I went to the vet and everything while you were asleep. It’s all good and he’s mine now because he’s healthy and didn’t have an owner. Or ours, if you want to…’’ He offered again, looking at Max with big puppy eyes of his own.

As Daniel spoke, Buddy raised his head, too. His eyes were open now, and he was looking straight at Max, who still seemed to hesitate a little. ‘’I…I don’t know, Dan…Adopting a dog is such a huge responsibility…’’ He told the Aussie with a bit of a sigh. Dan was still petting the puppy on his lap, and now gently lifted him up, holding him next to his face while they both gave Max their best puppy eyes. ‘’Pleeeeeaaaaaase, daddy? Will you adopt me?’’ Dan asked, waving Buddy’s paw around a little to make it seem like the little dog was asking instead of the Aussie.

The ridiculous act made Max laugh, and he shook his head for a moment before he leaning over to kiss Daniel, getting a lick on his cheek in the process. ‘’Ooohhhh, am I getting kisses from you, too?’’ He asked the puppy happily, scratching him a little underneath his chin, much to Buddy’s delight. ‘’God, you are cute.’’ Max said quietly, feeling his resolve wavering. 

‘’Lie back down, babe.’’ Daniel told his boyfriend. Max hummed softly at being ordered around by the Aussie, but did as he was told. Once he was settled, Daniel gently put Buddy on Max’s chest. The puppy immediately started wagging his tail excitedly, licking all over the Dutchman’s face while Max giggled. This lasted for about a minute, before the puppy yawned again and curled himself up on Max’s chest, promptly going back to sleep.

‘’Oohhh, sleep tight, sweetie.’’ Max said quietly, gently petting the puppy as Buddy slept on his chest. He sighed happily as he looked at the little thing, before he turned his gaze back to Daniel, a soft smile on his face. ‘’Okay.’’ He said quietly. Dan immediately broke into a grin then, leaning down to kiss Max deeply. ‘’Yeah?’’ He asked quietly, a little glimmer in his eyes as he slowly pulled away from the kiss. Max nodded softly. ‘’Yeah.’’ He replied with a loving smile. ‘’But if you ever do something like this again without telling me, I’ll spank you until you can’t walk.’’ He threatened with a smirk.

Daniel started laughing then, looking absolutely delighted by the prospect. ‘’Deal.’’


End file.
